


Skipping Rocks

by aquasock



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 14:51:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17246177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquasock/pseuds/aquasock
Summary: In the aftermath of Soren and Claudia's redemption, Rayla questions her place on the team and the meaning of autonomy.





	Skipping Rocks

The lake glowed orange, illuminated by the light of a sun fading into the afternoon sky. Rayla could see herself reflected in its still waters, a few feet from their edge with her knees pressed to her chest. The backdrop of enormous pines towered behind her and the shimmer of lightning bugs dancing across the surface of the lake reflected as well. In the distance, she could see the light of the fire Soren had made. She could still hear it cracking among the chirping of birds and insects but had moved far enough away that it was faint. Rayla had claimed she needed a break from the smoke. To clear her lungs. She’d made a show of coughing as she backpedaled through the sand.

In actuality, she needed to clear her head.

The four others’ laughs echoes around the clearing. Rayla had been traveling for a while with Ezran and Callum, growing quite a bit closer over the past weeks. Were it just a handful of weeks prior to this night, she’d likely have been laughing along with them. But the addition of Claudia and Soren to their team had vastly changed the dynamic. 

Turning against their father and deciding to help deliver the egg to Xadia was a messy ordeal in general. But the aftermath had turned out entirely awkward for Rayla. Claudia and Soren had known Callum and Ezran for years. Rayla’s only prior interaction with the two of them had been the assault on the castle and a long history of animosity between their people. 

It wasn’t that any of them were actively making her feel unwelcome. As soon as they had truly understood everything that was happening, even when still conflicted about how to digest all that meant for their father’s role in this situation, they’d dropped most of their hostility toward Rayla. But she couldn’t shake the feeling of being a fifth wheel. 

Rayla reached into the sand, running her fingers through it until they wrapped around a rock. She reared back, ready to toss it and disrupt the stillness of the lake. However her hand was met by another, stopping her in her tracts. She looked up to find Claudia beside her, smiling. “This one’s much better,” Claudia said, extending her other hand to show a rock held between her index and middle fingers. “For skipping, that is. If that’s what you’re doing.”

“Oh,” Rayla whispered, feeling herself flush. For a moment she felt almost disappointed as Claudia’s hand moved from hers. The rock slid from her grasp and plopped back into the sand as she reached to take the rock Claudia was offering. She studied it for a moment, smooth and flat as if someone had smashed it between their hands. “Don’t know if I’ve ever skipped rocks before,” she admitted.

“I could show you how if you want,” Claudia said. Rayla nodded, and Claudia wrapped her hand around hers again. She pressed softly against her arm, turning it so that the inside of her forearm faced upwards. Taking the rock, she balanced it on Rayla’s middle finger and thumb and gently began to pull her arm back. “Now get ready, and remember to flick your wrist…” she instructed, her smile almost audible. “And… go!”

Rayla swung her arm, the rock flying from her fingers and across the lake. It skipped three times before sinking below the surface of the water.

“You’re a natural!” Claudia praised, grabbing a stone and tossing it herself. She chuckled when it only skipped twice. “See, I’ve been doing it for years and you’re already better than me.”

Rayla smiled. “Beginners luck, I guess.”

They were silent for a few moments. Rayla sifted through the sand for another stone before noticing that Claudia had sobered up, staring at the spot in which her rock had sunk with a furrowed brow. She almost wondered if Claudia was actually upset about having gotten less skips, and opened her mouth to assure that she likely wouldn’t be able to do that again.

However, Claudia spoke first, her voice thick with an emotion Rayla couldn’t place. “I remember when my father taught me how to skip rocks,” she said. She sounded fond. “He got so mad because every time he tried to show me how, his wouldn’t skip. They’d sink as soon as they hit the water. Just… plop.” She paused, blinking, and began to frown. “His issue was that he wasn’t flicking his wrist. He was just tossing them into the water. When I stopped listening to his instructions and added my own, I finally got it to skip. And he wasn’t mad, not really. But annoyed.” Claudia let out a shaky breath. “If he was annoyed about me not listening to him over rocks, I can’t imagine what he feels right now.”

They sat in silence for a moment before Claudia shook her head, turning back to Rayla. 

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to throw all that at you, the words just all kind of fell out.”

“No don’t be. I understand,” Rayla hummed, placing her hand on Claudia’s shoulder and giving a small squeeze. Claudia looked surprised by the gesture but didn’t flinch from it. “When I didn’t kill the castle guard… when I chose to return the egg to Xadia with Callum and Ezran… Runaan didn’t understand.”

“Runaan?”

“The elf who led the assault on the castle. He’s like a father figure to me. He was there for me when my parents weren’t. And the anger and betrayal on his face when I confronted him that night... I still feel horrible about it. I know what I did was right, but there are people in your life that you want to be proud of you. Part of growing up, I guess, is realizing that sometimes doing what’s best for yourself or what’s best for others isn’t always gonna make them proud.”

Claudia didn’t respond. She looked silently at the lake now, mouth in a tight line.

“But the thing I think that’s different about us... if Runaan and I ever see each other again, I think he’ll eventually understand. He might not agree with everything I did, but he’d come to a point where he respects my choices and gets why I had to make them. And, Claudia, you deserve people in your life who respect your judgement. Who are proud of you for doing what you think is best and having such a good heart. I think your brother is.”

Rayla nodded toward Soren, who was waving around a half-eaten drumstick as he gestured wildly. It looked like he was telling some story, Ezran watching with bated breath and Callum in concern. 

She smiled, turning back to face Claudia, who had torn herself from the lake and was now looking her directly in the eyes. “The princes are too, I know that for a fact.” Rayla’s smile faltered, a nervous pause hanging in the air for just a moment. “And I am too. I’m so proud Claudia.”

Claudia let out a small noise somewhere between a laugh and a sniffle, her fingers reaching up to wipe at her eyes. “I came over here to skip rocks, not cry,” she chuckled. Rayla laughed along with her.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she said, smiling. “Thank you, Rayla. I know we got off to a rocky start, but I’m really glad to have you. On the team. As a friend.”

Rayla smiled. “Yeah. Me too.”

“Why don’t you come back to the fire with me?” Claudia offered, extending her hand. “If you’ve caught your breath that is.”

“I should be good now,” she smirked, taking her hand. The two of them trudged back through the sand toward the campfire, and this time neither of them let go.


End file.
